Jamu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah provided free e-car services to women in Srinagar on Tuesday. |Picture source: ANI
Jamu and Kashmir women have reason to smile. In the first such initiative, the J&K government launched a free bus service for women on April 1, 2025 (April 1, 2025), which was shot for working women on union territory.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called this step “a landmark towards gender-inclusive mobility”, holding a zero-ticket travel plan at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar.
According to the 2011 census, the city of Srinagar has a population of 12,19,516, and women account for 47% of the population. In the Chamu area, there are 716,000 women of the 1.529 million population.
The free service is limited to the buses of the Smart City Electronics Unit and J&K Road Transport Corporation (JKRTC) across the Union Territory. “This initiative is not only a welfare measure, but a bold step towards empowering and inclusive development for women,” Abdullah said.
He said it was not only about affordability, but also about accessibility, security and creating environments where women are able to travel freely. “Our vision is to make J&K a model of inclusive growth, and no women are blocked due to liquidity restrictions,” Abdullah said.
J&K has 200 E-BUSEs throughout UT, mainly in the city center. Officials said Kashmir has 130 RTC buses and 105 buses in the Chamu area, which are paved across regions and on highways. “We hope that they (women) can travel in Jamu and Kashmir in a safe environment,” the Chief Minister said.
The initiative is popular with J&K women. “This will give women confidence to travel and may stimulate more women to come out to work,” said entrepreneur Asiya Jan.
publishing – April 2, 2025, 03:00 am
